


Cast Around

by penlex



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Loki Redemption, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-06-30
Packaged: 2017-12-16 16:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/863911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penlex/pseuds/penlex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Anonymous asked:</b> <i> How about something like Coulson losing his memory and scaring everybody because he's so ~open~ suddenly?</i></p><p>Coulson gets hit in the head on a mission and gets retrograde amnesia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cast Around

The seating arrangements on the hellicarrier are as usual: Clint next to Natasha, Coulson next to Clint, and no one brave enough to bother with Natasha’s other side while she gets into the battle zone. Tony is pestering Steve and Bruce, Thor nominally participating in the conversation while keeping an eye on Loki, who is reading the mission brief with a bored as hell expression.

Coulson keeps an eye on Loki, too, mainly only for Clint’s benefit now-a-days as it’s been over a year since Loki has pulled any “mischief” above the chaos level of a practical joke. Clint appreciates it, but also feels kinda bad sometimes that his own issues add to Coulson’s endless list of things to take care of.

+

It’s some kind of crazy bullshit monster thing that grew out of the ground or something, and they really need to figure out where the fuck all of this stuff comes from so they can just take  _that_  out and never have to bother again.

Anyway, as far as missions go, it’s an easy one. They take out the thing, and as far as Clint can tell coming down from his perch on top of an evacuated hospital the only injury is that Loki got his casting hand broken. All things considered, that could be labeled as more of a blessing than a casualty.

On the ground, Clint comes face to face with what must be karma for bad thoughts when he sees Coulson on the ground with blood coming from his head.

+

The docs at HQ say Coulson will be fine, physically and all that, but he’s got some pretty heavy hitting retrograde amnesia and they can’t tell if it’s temporary or not. Considering how far back it goes, they think not.

He looks around at them all with bright eyes and a confused half-smile, and asks each of them for their name. Loki mutters angrily from the next bed over (which he insisted was unnecessary but which Thor insisted could do no harm), glaring at his broken hand. Clint hates him so much he feels sick.

+

Phil remembers only up to his very first year of college. It’s the perfect happy medium, apparently, of tolerance and belonging and of lack of strict protocols to follow.

Phil was teased in middle school and high school, he tells them easily, when asked what he remembers about his life. Mostly because he was kinda scrawny at first (Steve takes this moment to express empathy and Phil may or may not squeal, Clint is gonna leave that one ambiguous because he’s not sure his sanity can take it), but then later because he was “gay as a daisy in May” - his exact words.

Tony is having the time of his life - asking twelve thousand questions and getting twelve thousand perfectly straight answers in return, cackling with glee each time.

Clint hates him a bit too, especially when Fury comes in to visit for lunch and Coulson giggles at Tony’s pirate joke and Tony looks like Christmas has come early.

+

When Tony is done asking questions, it’s Coulson’s turn. Tony comes crashing back down to earth at the harsh reminder of what’s really going on and how things are actually supposed to be. Natasha answers most of Coulson’s questions because she knows the most aside from Clint, and Clint’s throat hurts every time he tries to speak.

+

“So who’s Mister Silent-Type?” Coulson asks, his eyes flirty and sliding up and down Clint’s bare arms.

“That’s Agent Barton,” Natasha answers. She’s a little uncomfortable, Clint can tell. He guesses that’s probably due to the fact that she knows Clint is kind of in love with Coulson but his guy who’s checking him out isn’t really Coulson. “He’s one of your operatives.”

“Oh,” says Coulson, but he hasn’t stopped with the gimme-your-number grin. “I was hoping he was my boyfriend.”

Clint’s throat hurts. He leaves.

+

That night Natasha tells Clint the docs decided to keep Coulson for a few days for observation to make sure he doesn’t hemorrhage or whatever, but she took all the screws out of the vents for him because she knew he’d be visiting again.

+

Clint watches Coulson sleep from the shadowy corner of the hospital room. He feels like a total fucking creep, but it can’t be helped. Once or twice Clint lock-picked his way into Coulson’s office when Coulson had fallen asleep at his desk and he looks just the same now except a million times more comfortable with a pillow.

“You wanna take a picture, Agent?” says Coulson suddenly, and his sleepy voice is sexy as hell and for a second everything is normal. Then Coulson blows him a kiss.

Clint leaves.

+

The next afternoon Loki dances around the tower crowing about how his hand is nearly healed and shooting impotent sparks at everyone. Clint wishes he could break all the other bones in his body.

+

That night Clint tires to go through the vents in the hospital again, only to find them all somehow sealed. Frustrated, and feeling stubborn and contrary, he decides to just walk through the fucking door - so what if it’s after visiting hours Coulson’s his handler and Clint will see him whenever he  ~~needs~~  wants to.

At the door to Coulson’s room Clint runs into Loki, and is immediately defensive and suspicious. He glares, but Loki meets his eyes without trepidation. Their grass green shines, and there is something there that reminds Clint that Loki never apologized to him, but not in a way that makes him angry about it. Confused now, Clint steps around Loki and looks in on Coulson, who is sound asleep and to all appearances unharmed. When Clint glances back over his shoulder, Loki is gone.

Coulson’s eyes open immediately when Clint steps in. The corner of his mouth turns up just a little and he says, “Hey, Clint.”

+

“Apology accepted,” Clint tells Loki at breakfast. His hair is mussed and there may or may not be some drool making it sticky in places. Not that Clint would ever tell if Coulson drooled.

Loki says, “I never apologize.”

“Well in that case,” Clint agrees easily with a grin, “thanks.” Loki wrinkles his nose, curls his lip - averts his eyes, blushes.

“Forgiveness accepted, then,” he mutters, and Clint punches him on the shoulder and laughs.

**Author's Note:**

> look me up on [tumblr](http://redblooded-disadvantage.tumblr.com/) for stale meta n fresh memes


End file.
